Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo passed away from heart failure Thursday evening at the age of 82.

The son of Italian immigrants, Cuomo rose to the state's highest office serving three terms in Albany from 1983 to 1994.

He first drew national attention at the 1984 democratic convention when his keynote address underscoring the tenets of liberal politics during the Reagan era–brought the capacity crowd in San Francisco to its feet.

(CNN) - One New Orleans columnist says that Rep. Steve Scalise should have known the awfulness of the white supremacist organization he alleged spoke to in 2002, but that cozying up to a group like that was a way to win in Louisiana politics.

The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com columnist, Jarvis DeBerry, joins "The Lead" to explain.

(CNN) - It seems there are more questions than answers surrounding Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, the third-ranking Republican in the House, and whether or not he spoke to a white supremacist group back in 2002.

He apologized yesterday for appearing at the convention of the European American Unity and Rights Organization, which was founded by David Duke, the notorious former Klan leader and state lawmaker.

But Duke's former campaign manager told Slate.com that Scalise actually had been invited to talk to a local civic association gathering in the same location, saying quote: "He spoke early in the day to a contingent of people prior to the conference kicking off. He was not there as a guest speaker at the conference."

(CNN) – Larry Sabato, director of University of Virginia's Center for Politics, joins "The Lead" to discuss the racial controversy surrounding Rep. Steve Scalise and his 2002 speech to a white supremacist group.

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The Lead with Jake Tapper draws not only on Tapper’s deep knowledge of politics and national issues, but also seeks to examine and advance stories across a wide range of topics that demonstrate his own curiosities and interests. Compelling headlines come from around the country and the globe, from politics to money, sports to popular culture, based on news drivers of the day.